Tai (Well of All Things) (Earth-616)
| Relatives = Miyami Chord (daughter, deceased), Andrew Chord (son-in-law), Aaron Chord (grandson), Silhouette Chord (granddaughter), other members of the Dragon's Breath cult | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = formerly Ambrose Building, New York City; Cambodia | Gender = Female | Height = | Weight = | Eyes = | Hair = Black | UnusualFeatures = Extremely sharp talon-like fingernails | Citizenship = Cambodian | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = | Education = | Origin = | PlaceOfBirth = Cambodia | Creators = Tom DeFalco; Ron Frenz; | First = Thor #411 | HistoryText = Centuries ago, Tai's ancestors settled in Cambodia around an interdimensional breach called the Well of All Things. Calling themselves the Cult of the Dragon's Breath, they plotted to one day rule the world. Through centuries of selective breeding, their plan began to bear fruit with Tai's generation. Tai and the fellow members of the cult that were born in her generation were able to tap into the powers of the well. Tai's people prophesied that in order for their plan for world conquest to come true, the members of the cult would eventually need to marry westerners, and that these children would become the eventual rulers of the world. Only through the merging of east and west could the prophecy come true. Tai, ever the opportunist, did not want to share the power with anyone. Over time she murdered the majority of her cult with the exception of her daughter Miyami and 5 other brides of the Dragon's Breath Cult and she waited for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Eventually, Tai's patience was rewarded during the Siancong War. An American unit of soldiers called the Half-Fulls found the temple of the Dragon's Breath Cult during a walk through the jungle of Cambodia. The group attacked Tai until they were restrained by her magic. Tai made the six soldiers a pact: marry the six brides of the Dragon's Breath Cult and they would be the fathers to the eventual rulers of the world. Five of the six members of the Half Fulls accepted Tai's pact. Andrew Chord married Tai's daughter Miyami and they had two children, Midnight's Fire and Silhouette. Go Vin Ng and his bride became the parents of Silk Fever. Collier Mack and his bride became the parents of Smiling Tiger. Mack Conroy and his bride became the parents of Bloodstrike. Diego Casseas and his bride became the parents of an unnamed girl. The sixth member of the Half Fulls, Daryl Taylor refused to marry a bride of the cult because he already had a wife named Melody back home in the states (in an ironic twist Daryl would break his vows to Melody later and father an illegitimate son named Donyell). Daryl's refusal to participate in the pact is what ultimately led to his and Melody's murder at the hands of Andrew Chord. After Miyami faked the deaths of herself and her two children Chord wandered the world as a mercenary eventually reuniting with his mother-in-law Tai. Tai, fearful that the pact would come undone by the lack of participation of its members, came with Chord to America. Tai had Andrew Chord reconnect with his old war buddy Daryl Taylor. Daryl and Melody's son Dwayne Taylor in many ways became a replacement for the son Chord had lost. Tai eventually ordered Chord to kill Daryl and Melody which he did. At this point, Dwayne Taylor was introduced to Tai and she used her mental powers to cloud his memory of what happened to his parents. Tai and Chord became Dwayne's legal guardians and thus held power at Daryl Taylor's company the Taylor Foundation. Dwayne was traumatized by the murder of his parents and began to wage a war against crime while Tai and Chord supported him in this endeavor to suit their own agenda. Dwayne soon joined Midnight's Fire and Silhouette in fighting gangs in New York. Tai and Chord did not realize that Dwayne's new partners were Chord's children or Tai's grandchildren. Tai and Chord took an immediate dislike to Midnight's Fire and Silhouette. This partnership ended with Silhouette being shot while trying to infiltrate a gang which ruined Midnight's Fire and Dwayne's friendship. Some time later Dwayne Taylor decided to build himself a suit of armor, took the codename Night Thrasher, and began gathering a group of super humans to help him in his war against crime. Tai and Chord were often helpful to the group. Tai herself took on a team of Hellions before being subdued by the White Queen. Tai's granddaughter Silhouette was the first member to join the team after the six founders. Eventually, Night Thrasher and Silhouette began to uncover Chord and Tai's mismanagement of the Taylor Foundation and discovered that the Foundation's money was supporting various questionable recipients such as Justin Hammer, Roxxon, Genetech, Arnim Zola and AIM. When confronted, Chord attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head. Tai eventually used her magic to heal him as best she could. Later, when Chord was in the hospital, he was visited by his wife Miyami. Tai later tracked Miyami to a Chinese restaurant and when Miyami admitted her son and daughter were still alive and that she faked their deaths to keep them from Tai, Tai then realized that Silhouette and Midnight's Fire were her grandchildren when Miyami mentioned the children grew up in China Town. Enraged she murdered Miyami and later attempted to kill Silhouette. Tai returned to Cambodia and was confronted by the Folding Circle. Diego Casseas, now calling himself the Left Hand, had gathered together the children of the Half Fulls (except Silhouette) in order to defeat Tai and claim the Well of All Things for themselves. Eventually, the New Warriors arrived and after a battle, Tai revealed that the original reason she manipulated Dwayne into forming the New Warriors was to sacrifice super humans to the well. If the children of the pact had entered the well they would have gained omnipotence but Tai reasoned that sacrificing other superhumans would fulfill the prophecy while she used the children of the pact as her "avatars of world domination. Eventually, Tai tried to kill both groups but was killed by Night Thrasher who shot her in the back. Nova saved Night Thrasher from falling into the well and left Tai and the Left Hand to be consumed. Zarrko the Tommorow Man later sends the members of the New Warriors back in time to change the moments in their life they most wanted to undo. Silhouette is sent back to the moment where her mother Miyami is murdered by Tai. Night Thrasher similarly is sent back to stop Silhouette's father Chord from killing his parents per Tai's wishes. Darkhawk defeats Zarrko before any of the Warriors can act and change the past. Silhouette later encounters her grandmother once again through time travel. When the Sphinx separates the New Warriors throughout various eras in time, Silhouette meets her grandmother as a child. Silhouette learns that Tai, even as a little girl, was evil and was already plotting to kill her rivals within her cult. Silhouette, reasoning that killing Tai will simply create an alternate timeline, decides to kill her grandmother. This action may have been what ultimately drove Silhouette to resign from the New Warriors or it may have been what ruined her relationship with Night Thrasher's half-brother. | Powers = Tai exhibited various mystical abilities, as well as physical enhancements. | Abilities = | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = | Marvel = | Wikipedia = | Links = }} Category:Universal Wellspring Category:Chord Family